Democrats unveil plans for Assembly

By Stephen J. Nielsen, Capital News Service

01/19/13

The Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus is calling for higher taxes to boost funding for transportation, education and other services. The caucus outlined its legislative agenda for the 2013 General Assembly at a news briefing Tuesday. Seven senators from the Democratic leadership spoke, each championing different issues, such as Medicaid, gun control and a “Dream Act” to help the children of illegal immigrants.

Senate Democratic Leader Richard Saslaw of Falls Church presented a plan to increase funding for transportation.

“I’m probably going to drop a bill later this week that will raise the gas tax 5 cents this year, 5 cents next year,” Saslaw said. “That would raise about $500 million a year and pretty much come close to stopping the raid on the construction funds” being diverted to other purposes.

Saslaw also wants to regularly adjust the gasoline tax with inflation.

Saslaw noted that North Carolina’s gasoline tax is 21 cents higher than Virginia’s. But last summer, average prices at the pump were about the same in both states, he said. He said this shows that gas prices are market-driven and largely unaffected by taxes.

While raising the gas tax, Saslaw also would increase the sales tax: “The other thing we need to do is go up 1 percent on the sales tax.” Half of the resulting revenues, roughly $600 million a year, would go to road construction; the other half would go to education, including colleges and universities.

Because of its current funding levels and policies, Saslaw said, Virginia doesn’t create an environment that attracts the best scientific researchers. He compared the 30 or so Nobel Prize winners at the University of California at Berkeley to Virginia’s three winners.

“Five years ago, they (UC Berkeley) passed a $3 billion bond issued for stem cell research,” Saslaw said. “Stem cell research in Virginia is illegal … 2008, U.Va. got $25 million. Twenty-five million for research. Twenty-five million here, you got $3 billion there. If you’re a scientist, where are you heading?”

Sen. Charles Colgan, D-Manassas, proposed raising teachers’ salaries by 3 percent. Sen. George Barker, D-Alexandria, said Virginia must help close the gaps in achievement levels between different demographic groups.

Sen. Donald McEachin, D-Richmond, discussed the Virginia Dream Act. This would allow children of undocumented workers to pay in-state tuition for Virginia colleges if they:

• Graduated from a Virginia high school and have lived in state for three years.

• Have approval to stay in the United States under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Deferred Action Status program.

• Have paid Virginia income tax for at least three years.

“These children of undocumented workers deserve the same chance every other child gets in Virginia to go tocollege,” McEachin said.

Sen. Barbara Favola’s topic was expanding Medicaid. Favola, a Democrat from Arlington, said this would benefit 250,000 Virginians who aren’t receiving adequate care.

The federal government has agreed to pay the entire cost of expanding Medicaid for the first three years and 90 percent after that, Favola said. She said this would help the economy and create 30,000 jobs.

Sen. Dave Marsden, D-Fairfax, listed a number of bills concerning gun control, such as expanding background checks and requiring gun owners to report stolen weapons. He cited recent mass shootings like the one in Newtown, Conn.

“Mass shooting are coming at such frequency (there were seven this year) that it may always seem insensitive to debate change in the wake of these tragedies,” Marsden said. “But in overwhelming numbers, Virginians want something done.”

Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax, spoke in favor of proposed constitutional amendments to automatically restore the voting rights of nonviolent felons who have served their sentences. Such measures are awaiting a vote in a Senate committee. Petersen urged people who back the proposal to show their support.

The 10th Annual Filipino Festival will be held Aug. 7-8 at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 8200 Woodman Rd., beginning with opening ceremonies at 5 p.m. Friday and continuing with live entertainment, food and exhibits until 10 p.m. On Saturday the festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with a full schedule of performances featuring traditional Filipino dance, music and song.

Filipino cuisine, including BBQ, pansit, lumpia, adobo, halo-halo, lechon, empanada and leche flan, will be available for purchase. The festival will also feature a children's area, church tours, exhibits, and health screenings. > Read more.

The Children’s Museum of Richmond last week opened its new Short Pump location at Short Pump Town Center, to the delight of children who attended a sneak preview of the location July 10. The new facility, located under the forthcoming LL Bean store (formerly the food court) is 8,500 square feet in size – much larger than CMoR’s former Short Pump location at West Broad Village, which opened in 2010. The new space includes The CarMax Foundation Service Station, the Silver Diner, a grocery store, a performance stage and an art studio, as well as a giant Light Bright Wall. > Read more.

The Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Henrico Police are both presenting community events tomorrow, Aug. 1. The Feria Community Resource Fair at Richmond International Raceway brings together community service providers, embassies/consulates from Latin American countries, government agencies, nonprofit organizations and corporations that impact the Latino community. The Division of Police’s Community Day will feature demonstrations and displays from police, fire, animal protection and sheriff’s office, as well as family activities, food, entertainment and more. Other events this weekend include wine, chess and theatre! For all our top picks this weekend, click here! > Read more.